I’m prior service military and I have shot many different weapons, but I never really got into building any. That is until I got out. I want put together a quality M4 type weapon for HD and plinking at the range. I have seen the comparison chart and have been looking at a lot of the pictures people have posted on this great forum. What I’m looking for is a list of books I should read before building my own weapon. It’s one thing to buy a bunch of parts, but I have to know how to properly put them together and I should know what tools I need. Thanks for any info.
honestly unless you are looking for specific parts or want a unique configuration, you may be better off buying a current production Colt- closest to the issued gun. They sell in the 1200 dollar range. If you went to buy parts equivalent to the quality of the Colt’s you’ll be above that cost in no time. However, if you want to go lower cost, a decent rifle can be made for a lot less.
Honestly building right now is hit or miss as far as being cheaper, but I still build my own that way I get exactly what I want and there is a bit of satisfaction as well. I babysit the forums for deals and I’m lucky if I save $50 on an upper when it’s all said and done. I regularly save $75-100 on a lower build.
That said, IMHO I would save your money and forget the books. All of the torque and staking requirements are in the forum for free with great pics, and between Brownell’s build-your-own AR videos and youtube I think you’ll be fine. I was/am and I’m on my 5th build. It really is not difficult with the correct tools and your computer.